Brother of Nicolas Cruz, Douglas High School Killer, Arrested For Trespassing at Same School

MIAMI — The brother of the teen charged with killing 17 people at a Florida school was arrested Monday afternoon for trespassing at the same school, authorities said.

Zachary Cruz, 18, was arrested at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and charged with trespassing on school grounds, a Broward Sheriff’s Office report said.

The teen was recorded by security cameras riding his skateboard at the school around 4:30 p.m. though he had received prior warnings from school officials to stay away from the campus, the report said.

Zachary Cruz told the arresting deputy that he was there to “reflect on the school shooting and to soak it in,” according to the report. It added that the teen had “surpassed all locked doors and gates and proceeded to ride his skateboard through school grounds.”

The youth’s brother, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 14 shooting.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that documents show some officials recommended in September 2016 that Nikolas Cruz be involuntarily committed for a mental evaluation, though the recommendation was never acted upon. Such a commitment would have made it more difficult, if not impossible, for Cruz to have legally obtained a gun such as the AR-15 assault-style rifle used in the shooting.

Jail records didn’t immediately list an attorney for Zachary Cruz.

MIAMI — The brother of the teen charged with killing 17 people at a Florida school was arrested Monday afternoon for trespassing at the same school, authorities said. Zachary Cruz, 18, was arrested at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and charged with trespassing on school grounds, a Broward Sheriff’s Office report said. The teen was…

Ospreyshire,
“Unbelievable” is right! Considering that he had been told not to come on school property shows disrespect for law enforcement and rules. It happens often when juveniles violate laws and get slaps on wrists. They develop the attitude that no one is going to stop them and consequences are minimum.

Yes, Osprey. I don’t know, but I don’t think that anger, hate and rebellion are mental illness issues. They are issues of self-discipline and maybe a therapist can help, but only if the patient wants to be helped. If the patient blames everyone else for their problems to justify their behavior, they don’t want to be helped. In this matter, we have even the president giving Cruz an excuse of mental illness.

I do agree with you with anger, hate, and rebellion aren’t mental health issues. Can they and should they be treated if they get out of hand? Absolutely. People do need to take responsibility for their actions nonetheless which has become such a rarity these days.

I’ve thought about this some more, and it seems as if mental illness has become a catch-all excuse for bad behavior. I have a friend who at the age of 60 was diagnosed bi-polar. After the diagnosis, she blamed being bi-polar for her rudeness, tantrums when not getting her way, and claiming to not know how to do simple things. But, I’ve known her for well over 20 years, and she was always passive-aggressive as well as high tempered.

In other words, what I’m trying to say is that there are people who have certain characteristics and instead of seeing where those characteristics are not to their benefit nor that of society, they dismiss all self-control and blame it on mental illness.

Thanks. To go with what you’re saying, I certainly agree with how people use that as an excuse for people getting away with heinous things. It also adds to the implications in mainstream media that when the majority society does something horrific, that it’s just an aberration or an exception to the norm from an individual standpoint. When someone who doesn’t look like Cruz does something, the entire race is blamed.

It’s interesting with how people who have real diagnoses blame things on their condition. However, the adverse is true by not using or exploiting their conditions. Also, society tends to be coddling to some and it can breed a sense of entitlement or blamelessness.

Sure thing, Xena. I do my best to do my research while also grounding things in logic as best I can. It’s still a learning process for me and I have to do my best to not be too emotional when it comes to something I care about.

Someone needs to explain how he was able to circumvent the security process at the school, especially in the aftermath of the recent shooting there! If he was able to get access to the school with a skateboard, does it not stand to reason it could very well have been a gun? What will it take to open the eyes of our government, and get them to see that we have a serious problem and it will not solve its self. I heard someone ask a question the other day that has stuck in my head, he asked if the shooting had taken place at the school where one of the trump children went to school would the response from the government and the NRA been the same? I suspect not…

Mothman,
If it had been Trump’s children or grandchildren, the response from the government and NRA would have probably been the same. They would have only looked at everyone else to blame, especially mental health providers. They will propose and introduce Bills to control everyone else but not guns. We have heard this for years when police kill mentally ill people — the police say they are expected to be social workers and mental health professionals. The rules for dealing with people under mental distress are not followed as long as LE says they feared for their lives.

#BREAKING: Zachary Cruz blocked from owning gun with Florida Baker Act 'Red Flag' law – One of the first uses of a Florida law passed in the wake of last month's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was targeted at — the suspect's bro… https://t.co/MsI7CAfiXn